Right now, I'm wishing we still had the rating system, because BuddyRoadhouse has some five star posts in this thread!

Those are six fine Roadfood destinations in the poll, but Stroud's was an easy choice for me. I can't even imagine having a Stroud's near home. I probably would have been dead by 30, but would have gone out with a smile on my face!

BackRhodes Probably hundreds of "Pepe's Pizza" in North America...assuming that folks would know about a particular "FAMOUS CT Pizza Joint" is presumptive at best, IMHO...

But they're not assuming that just any old "folks would know about a particular 'FAMOUS CT Pizza Joint'". They're assuming that Roadfood folks will know about Pepe's Pizza, and, except apparently for you, they are correct. Even this provincial, hometown oriented, Chicago Style Pizza lovin' boy knows about Pepe's.

Judging by your first post in this thread, I think you've missed the point of the poll. It is a fantasy wish list of some of the best Roadfood joints that are highly unlikely to ever open up outside their original locations. That is the point. None of them are chains, and that is what fuels the fantasy. Stroud's fried chicken in Chicago? I'd eat there twice a week! Louis Mueller in my back yard? Sign me up for sausage and brisket the rest of the week. Voodoo Doughnut? Let's go for dessert after fried chicken and 'Que!

So just pick one and dream.

Buddy

Then I want a BURT'S Pizza here in Indiana with a particular Saturday server included.

In all of Dallas we have only 2-1/2 Jewish deli's. One pretty damn good (Deli-News). One just, OK (Gio's). And one that, half thinks they're a Jewish deli (Cindy's).

So of course, I want a Katz's in Dallas!

I think Cindy is a native of Vietnam.

I miss the Deli-News that was just off Preston, south of the LBJ.

Cindy isVietnamese. She started with one small place in Plano and now has about five "deli's" including a branch downtown. Btw, the guy who used to own Gilbert's works for her.

Deli-News first started at Arapaho and Hillcrest. Then moved to Frankford just east of the Tollway. They've been at their current location, Preston and Campbell for about 8 years. And, they're still the best in Dallas!

I still feel that this poll in question was created, and aimed at "insiders", and was too specific for places that somebody "back east" might (or might not) know about these places...

Sorry folks, but I still DO see a level of "elite", and those who are non elite here...

I'm just a normal guy...trying to learn more...but what I come away with is an impression that some come off as "how stupid you are to not know of these places" or "how dare you not be as knowledgable as us"...

How could I *not* know of these places...???

I'm SO far west that we think of RENO as being "back east"...

I've never heard of those places...never been to them...and what I get is "how dumb of you to not google them" ...

I think in the future I'll just ignore the polls...I'm not a member of the all knowing food elite...many of the elements here are geared to folks back east where due to severe population density there's more food places to talk about, and more closely packed together with less driving distance...

If my post about googling came across as calling you dumb, my sincere apologies, not my intention.

Part of RF is the discovery and how we get there.

I used to travel a lot and know many of these places from being there. I have also read and used the RF books since I discovered them in the late 80's.

If I come across a place I am not familiar with, I search it here or google and try to find a website for the place. MANY of the small mom & pops dont have a web page, but many are learning and you see them popping up more and more.

As for being far to the west, I was once so far south in LA we thought NOLA was in the NORTH.

I still feel that this poll in question was created, and aimed at "insiders", and was too specific for places that somebody "back east" might (or might not) know about these places... I'm curious as to what you mean by "specific". Could you elaborate? NOTE: The RF Poll has a very limited layout so it's just about impossible for the team to create a poll that will include a massive multitude of choices. Do any restaurants come to mind that you wish you had seen in the poll? It seems you feel there is an "east" or East Coast" slant to the site. Only 2 of the 6 in the poll are on the East Coast though being from California I could see how you would view 5 of them as "east". There will always be a place or places that some people have never heard of. Nine years ago I had never even heard of the word "Roadfood" but I have learned an awful lot since I joined in 2005. Much of that has been through asking questions, getting involved and playing an active role in my own Roadfood education. I carry a notebook with me and if I see a place, read about a place I write it down for future reference and add it to a Master List I keep of places I'd eventually like to try.

The debate about whether or not there is an "eastern" slant to the site crops up every so often. For my 2 cents the answer is yes...and no. Most if not all of the Roadfood team is based in the Northeast so they spend a lot of time there and as a result they have more opportunity to explore those regions. However, they also travel extensively and explore food ALL across the U.S. Lots of Digest reports, Trip Reports and Restaurant Reviews (there are 118 reviews in CA and a number of them in Berkeley and San Francisco) from all states. So there is definitely West Coast representation! This might be a great opportunity for you be be an ambassador for the local food/restaurants in your area. If your region is not a destination (or is a town on the way to elsewhere) or just doesn't get a lot of visitors, letting people know about the great eats there and the great sites/activities might be just the thing to get RFers interested in checking it out. To paraphrase Aerosmith: "Roadfood is a journey, not a destination". We all can learn and discover something new.

Sorry folks, but I still DO see a level of "elite", and those who are non elite here... Could you elaborate on this? I get the impression that you feel excluded from the "discussion", as it were. An aside: I started distance running about 2 years ago and when I showed up to my the first big race (the one which got me interested in the first place!) I looked around the starting line area and saw thousands of runners who looked in far better shape than me, who had clearly been running for years and decades, and compared to the 7 months I had been running I began to feel overwhelmed and out of place. Many groups were speaking to each other fluently in terms like "negative splits", "PR", "IT Band", etc that I was just beginning to learn and I asked myself, Do I really belong here?"

My point is that I didn't feel as though the running community was excluding me in any way but rather that what I was feeling was a reflection of my own self doubts and insecurities. We all have them and that's okay. The trick is to move past them. I certainly don't think of myself as a Roadfood elite but I do feel I know a great deal about food. I constantly have friends say to me, "How do YOU know about that restaurant?" or "How do YOU know about that regional food?". My reply is always the same. "Food is something I love and care about very much and I make it my business to know about these things!" My friend say they get hungry when I talk food with them because I get really excited and passionate about it when I describe it.

Elite seems to me more a "state of mind" than anything. Roadfood is the kind of site where you get out of it what you put into it. I'm glad you posted but I wish you had asked more about those places in order to learn more about them rather than assume you were being left out. The more you learn the less you'll feel left out. If I came across a poll that listed restaurants or regional foods that I had never heard of my gut reaction wouldn't be that the "elite" were excluding me but rather, "Wow, what's THAT about? I should find out more about it!" And yes, that has actually happened to me on several occasions!

I'm just a normal guy...trying to learn more...but what I come away with is an impression that some come off as "how stupid you are to not know of these places" or "how dare you not be as knowledgable as us"... How could I *not* know of these places...??? Certainly there are many people in the world who are not into food and there are plenty of people new to Roadfood every day. It wouldn't be surprising to hear that you hadn't been to any of the restaurants in the poll. Traveling is not cheap and very few Roadfooders can do it on a regular basis. I think what was surprising to some of the posters is that you have been a member for about 8 months and have posted over 400 times and yet had not heard of any of the restaurants listed in the poll and they are 6 of the most widely discussed and commonly known restaurants on the site. I have relatives who live in a very small town, no TV, computer, cell phone or answering machine in their lives and they like it that way. They've never heard of Roadfood and don't really travel beyond their neighboring counties. If they somehow saw the RF poll and had never heard of those restaurants it wouldn't be surprising.

I'm SO far west that we think of RENO as being "back east"... That's just geography. You're only a few mouse clicks away from all of the food/restaurant information you could ever want.

I've never heard of those places...never been to them...and what I get is "how dumb of you to not google them" ... I don't think they were suggesting that you Google places you had never heard of but rather that you Google them once you HAD heard of them (i.e. - after you saw them listed in the poll).

I think in the future I'll just ignore the polls...I'm not a member of the all knowing food elite...many of the elements here are geared to folks back east where due to severe population density there's more food places to talk about, and more closely packed together with less driving distance...

I really don't feel that there is a food elite here but a group of people who are super passionate about Roadfood. If you ever have any questions about food or restaurants on the site there are plenty of folks more than happy to help out an I'll answer anything I can as best I can. All you have to do is ask. If there are unheralded places in your area you feel merit more attention or you'd like to see on the site, e-mail the Roadfood team and let them know. If you can, grab a camera and submit a review/trip report of places you've been that you think your fellow RFers should know about. You've got the power, you just have to decide to use it!

I saw your post in the Eat & Greets section about the CA food tour. Awesome! I hope you can find some folks to get together and check it out. I've found a lot of times that it becomes necessary to put together a fairly specific itinerary to get people on board otherwise everyone waits for someone else to put it together.

I've attempted to post reviews with pictures, but apparently one of the requirements I can not meet is using yoyr REAL name...I'm a public figure in the broadcast industry, and while I don't mind using a psuedonem, I don't use my real name in public...I keep a bit of a buffer...it's not like I'm a big time broadcaster, but absolut eprivacy i sa concern and goal, so according to a moderator I can't post conventional reviews unless I use my real name...(I also do part time railroad work, and that's a rough crowd, just like loggers and cowboys)

Too bad,,,there are a few places I've visited, and have made review like comments elsewhere in the forums, including photos when I can...

I'm trying to contribute, even though I'd prefer to be able to do a normal review post...

I was also told that unless I absolute RAVE about a place for the initial review it won't get posted...according to the very limited choice of ranking, it wasn't high enough...even though I thought it was a better than average ranking...

I won't lie and give a place a false ranking...the palces I wanted to post a review on were about a 7 on a scale of 10, which IS better than average, but there was only 4 or 5 choices presented during the ranking process to create a review...and unless it's the very TOP ranking it won't be posted according to Bruce Blimes...

I mentioned to the moderator that I though this method of so few choices was limiting...a on esize fits all might be an ill fit at times...

What would I consider places as deserving the very TOP ranking without hesitation...???

The Officers Club at Treasure Island, the Officers Club at the Presidio (both of which no longer exist), the Officers Club at Alameda NAS, the Officers Club at Fallon NAS, and the Officers Cub at Beale AFB...

There are a few other places of note IHMO that somebody a few hours south of me pronounced as mediocre...

As for the west coast food safari, I'm still asking for suggestions, and have continued to do research on my own...

It's hard to do an itinerary without knowing if folks would rather do a quick "eat it & beat it" or a more relaxed journey with sight seeings time included...I asked for opinions but really didn't get a response...and while I'd like to do this with others, be sociable and meet folks, I have no problem doing this solo either...

I sometimes watch DDD and make a list of places he visits along certain routes or cities...

I've organised chili contests in the desert before, but have not put a road trip together...

BackRhodes, I hear ya on the privacy thing. I'm an actor though lack of privacy has never been an issue for me. Not quite hitting the red carpet...yet! They do ask for the real name so they can verify the legitimacy of the reviewer as there are people out there in cyberspace with an axe to grind and it'd be near impossible to know who wrote a review with an agenda in mind. I write reviews from time to time but I'm more into Trip Reports as I can discuss more at length and get more creative with my writing as well as incorporate interesting non-food topics and photos into the reports. The running has become a co-theme in most of my reports in the past couple of years.

When I first started on Roadfood Bruce hold told me the same thing about the first review being a rave. I get it as the idea is to inform people who come to the site about places that Roadfooders would REALLY want them to try as opposed to places that are hit or miss. Now, follow-up reviews can be positive or negative.

As far as a food safari, that might be a bit much for people who've never met you. They may just want to get together at a local RF establishment where everyone can relax, get to know one another over a meal and then see if the whole group or part of the group gels and wants to meet up again for a longer adventure. Perhaps toss out 2-3 dates that work for you and suggest a particular restaurant and see who bites?

I've gotten to know many people on here by posting a lot about my food adventures (solo and with friends) and replying to others' posts about their trips. Once you get to know people on the site and they get to know you, you'll find those with whom you have the same tastes and share common interests. I think that is how a great many people on this site came to know one another. I found that Buffetbuster, ayersian, The Travelin' Man, cecif and many others enjoyed some of my writing and I've enjoyed theirs and as a happy result we have had the opportunity to break bread on many occasions.

Hey CC, there is a lobster roll for about $14-$15 at Luke's Lobster. They have a four locations in Manhattan (East Village, Financial District, UW and the UES). I've been to the first two and they're pretty good. They do the Maine AND Connecticut style rolls! As much as I wanted to put it on the list, even in a fantasy world, the restaurateur can't recreate the atmosphere outdoors on the water.

I've never been to Ted Drewes but I do love the Shake Shack and from what I understand Danny Meyer based his custards and "concretes" on the ones he had growing up in St. Louis.